May 11, 2017

Creamy cucumber dill pasta salad. When I think of summer staples, pasta salad always comes to mind. After all, what's a potluck or picnic without it?

I tried something different with this batch--I made it creamy using cucumber dill cream cheese. This seemed like a natural progression, as I almost always add cucumbers and dill to my pasta salads and this just served to enhance those flavors. I liked the creaminess too; though oil-based dressings on pasta salads are delicious and classic, this was a welcome twist!

We scaled back the garden big time this year since I doubt we'll have time to take care of 50 plants. 50 plants << one tiny (as yet unnamed) human. We couldn't resist a few tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers, and we've planted lettuce and scallions as well. While I'll miss having so much produce that we can put some up to enjoy later in the year, I'm just happy we'll (probably) still have some fresh, homegrown veggies to devour and to use in dishes like this!

Directions:
Cook the pasta to al dente according to package directions; drain and set aside to cool.
Whisk or blend together the cream cheese, milk, mayonnaise or Greek yogurt, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, dill, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until smooth. Add more milk as needed.
Toss the pasta, tomatoes, pepper, and cucumber in the dressing until everything is coated. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. You may have to add a bit more milk to loosen things up.

12
comments:

This looks like a perfect addition to a cookout! We didn't do much of a garden last year either (I had the twins at the end of July). We are trying to do a bit more this year because so far they love vegetables and eat quite a lot for two tiny humans lol.

I missed starting seeds this year. Still trying to decide if I'm going to buy a few plants... Will miss your "buried in the harvest" stories this year. But I guess there will be a new fun topic before too long :-)